.- The ministry coordinator of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Msgr. Pedro Agustin Rivera Diaz, announced this week that a new program to reach out to women who are contemplating abortion is now in its first month of operation at the Marian shrine.
Msgr. Rivera said the pro-life ministry aims to help convince pregnant women who are socially pressured to get an abortion or who have been abandoned by the father, to carry their children to term and request assistance from private institutions to keep them or to give them up in adoption.
Speaking to local reporters, Msgr. Rivera said every third Saturday of the month, more than 200 women attend talks given by the Institute for the Rehabilitation of Women and the Family.
“They are not all women who are contemplating abortion; some have already had one and others are interested in the Church’s ministries,” he explained, adding that during the meetings, respect for oneself is emphasized, and women are informed about how the use of condoms fosters promiscuity.
“Obviously behind all the pills and condoms is a vast economic empire that is never seen. The struggle, therefore, is not only about human life,” he added.
Msgr. Rivera also noted that the Basilica offers programs for drug addicts and alcoholics, as well as a ministry for homosexuals based on the Courage program.
